May 20, 2025

Hello oss Industry Professionals,

 This second quarter newsletter highlights resources and opportunities related to septic system education for homeowners, SCOPE meeting details, and WAC revision clarification. Missed a newsletter? Past editions can be found on our For Contractors webpage. 

Promoting Proper Care for new systems & Repairs 

For new systems and major repairs, installers and designers have a prime opportunity to inform homeowners about proper operation and maintenance. This is especially important for more advanced systems and those with shallow drainfields. Help homeowners start off on the right foot and ensure the system you just designed or installed lasts a long time. Below are some examples of resources to direct homeowners to: 

• Septic Maintenance Webpages 
• Septic Care Workshop 
• Caring for Your New Septic System Guide (English and Spanish). This is sent with approved as-builts, but you can remind them to review it. 
• Manufacturer brochures/guides for proprietary products. 

sCope Meetings

Did you miss the first Septic Community of Professional Experts (SCOPE) meeting? You can find meeting minutes on the Contractor Communcations webpage.

Next Meeting Date: Thursday, August 7th 9:30-10:30am  

Meeting Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84375966165

These meetings are intended for you, and we want you to be there! Please take this short poll to aid in future planning of SCOPE meetings so we have a better idea of the days and times that will work best. 

Minor Repair Clarification  

Historically, the Snohomish County Health Department (SCHD) has allowed repair/replacement of up to 6 lineal feet of damaged dispersal line without having to obtain a permit. The new definition of minor repair from WAC 246-227A-0010 excludes the soil dispersal component, which we interpreted as the entire drainfield and that any repairs needed would require a permit. However, we recognize that this would be inefficient and cumbersome, so we have reached out to the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) for further clarification. DOH’s interpretation of repairing a small portion of the damaged dispersal line meets the intent of a minor repair as it does not deviate from the approved design or permit conditions. 

Moving forward, SCHD will allow the minor repair of up to 6 lineal feet of damaged dispersal line in the original location where the damaged occurred, so long as the repair is with like-for-like material. As a reminder, all limited/minor repairs must be documented and submitted to OnlineRME within 30 days from the date of service. 

Updates for Designers 

Elapsed Time Meter Schematics 

Recent WAC revisions have increased required use of timer control panels. To make sure this requirement is consistent with the DOH Pressure Systems DS&G, the Health Department is now requiring designers to submit relevant timer control panel information with all OSS applications that require this technology. Details from the DOH Pressure Distributions DS&G can be found in the following sections:  

• 2.5.1.2.1.10: “All control panels must have cycle counters and elapsed time meters for all pumps...” 
• 2.5.1.2.1.11: “All control panels must be equipped with both audible and visual high-liquid level alarms, and the alarms must be placed in a visible location.” 

DOH Technical Guidance Available 

Washington State Department of Health released technical guidance for contaminants of emerging concern. Our permitting staff recommends reading this first and then reading the related sections of the WAC. If you have further questions, please reach out. 

Help Us educate septic system owners 

Below are upcoming opportunities in the world of septic education. Please email savvy.septic@snoco.org if you are interested in participating in either opportunity, and we will coordinate with you! While we cannot offer incentives for volunteering for these projects, you will help spread the word about proper septic system care within our community. 

Opportunity #1: Inspection video

This summer, the Health Department is planning to create a video highlighting what occurs during a septic system inspection. To do this, we need to film an inspection with a willing homeowner and service provider. This would need to be for a low-pressure distribution (LPD) system or another more advanced type of system. Gravity or pump-to-gravity systems will not work for our project. 

Opportunity #2: In-Person Workshops this fall

The Health Department is hosting educational workshops for septic system owners at the Stillaguamish Grange in Stanwood on Thursday, September 25th and Tuesday, October 7th in the evening. During these workshops, there will be a 5-minute slot available for certified septic contractors. We would like to have a monitoring & maintenance specialist or pumper present about common issues they see in the field. We are flexible on how you participate (you can either present in-person or we can work with to film a short video to be shown during the workshop). 

Questions? Contact us!

Email: SHD-EHQ@snoco.org

Call: (425) 339-5250

This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under assistance agreement PC-01J89801 to the Washington State Department of Health and under an assistance agreement to the Washington State Department of Ecology. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.